Alternate Names: Lohorong, Lohrung, Lohrung Khap, Lohrung Khate, Southern Lohorung, Southern Lorung, Yakkhaba Lorung, Yamphu
Dialects: Gessa, Yamphe (Newahang Yamphe, Yakkhaba, Yakkhaba Khap, Yamphe Kha). 61% intelligibility of Lohorung ,, 43%–58% (depending on site) intelligibility of Yamphu ,. A Rai group, most closely related to Yamphu ,, but distinct in grammar and phonology (Hansson 1991). Lexical similarity: 84%–89% between Southern Yamphu varieties, 74%–83% with Yamphu ,, 65%–68% with Lohorung ,.
Status Notes: Language of recognized indigenous nationality: Rai.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 2,500 (2011 SIL), decreasing.
Language Use: Home, religion, work; mixed use: Friends. Young adults and older. Some use among children and adolescents. Positive attitudes.
Language Development: Dictionary.
Typology: SOV; postpositions; verbal affixation marks person and number; tense; nontonal.
Writing System: Devanagari
Nation of Origin: Nepal
Other Comments: Speakers of the language identify themselves ethnically as ‘Yamphu’. Hansson (1991) described this group as two separate languages, “Yamphu” and “Southern Lorung” (cf. Ethnologue, 16th edition and earlier). Traditional religion, Christian, Hindu.